Video Transcript for Optronics Trailer Lights TLL9RK Review

Today were looking at part number TLL9RK this is a submersible LED trailer light kit for trailers that are less than 80 inches wide and its made by Optronics. By submersible we mean these are fully waterproof they are sealed. You get red LEDs on both. On the drivers side light youll see on the bottom a clear lens, thats your license plate illuminator.Now you know that LEDs last thousands of hours, youll never have to replace a bulb. Pardon me. These are stud mounted, there are the studs on the back and the license plate bracket also mounts on the studs like that.

You get your 25 foot wiring harness with a 4-pole plug, a corrosion proof license plate bracket for the driver side and then also get all this stainless steel hardware that you need for installation. These meet all of the requirements of the Department of Transportation and they come with a lifetime warranty on the LEDs. Now were going to turn the lights off and Ill show you how they work. Thats your taillights, heres your brake lights and now well show you how the turn signal works. Theres your drivers side turn signal and heres your passenger side.

Okay, I can turn the lights back on. There you have it for part number TLL9RK from Optronics, the Submersible LED Trailer Light Kit with 25 Feet of Wiring. .

I purchased this kit to replace the existing setup on my 4' x 8' utility trailer that had served me well for about 15 years. I was having problems with blown fuses when I turned the vehicle headlights on, and then when I used the turn signals as well. It was pretty clear that my problems were coming from the old light fixtures, but I decided to go ahead and replace the whole wiring harness at the same time since the extra expense was nearly insignificant. This kit came with almost everything needed to complete the job. I added some 1/4" corrugated wire wrap to help protect the wires from abrasion, and a few waterproof heat shrink tubes to seal the connections (2 for each light, & 1 for the ground wire). I chose to solder my connections and then seal them with the waterproof heat shrink tubes. There was enough room inside the light fixtures to enclose the connections and keep them out of the weather. The whole process of removing the old lights and wiring, and then installing the new components took about two hours of leisurely work in the back yard. It was an easy process, and the new lights are much brighter and more reliable now. No more blown fuses. They have the added advantage of drawing very few amps as compared to my old incandescent fixtures. I think it was well worth the little extra cash to invest in the LED lights. The kit included a flat 4 wiring harness to connect to the vehicle, which made my neighbor happy when I gave it to him - my truck was already wired for a 4 flat connection. In all, this was the most recent of my 3 or 4 purchases from etrailer.com, and I will certainly be back for more. The prices are good, shipping is fast, and there is wealth of instructional information to consume.
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by: TCP08/23/2013

I was very much surprised that the hardware was stainless steel, which is great for salt water trailer usage. I was disappointed that the wiring harness was light weight wire, I would guess 20 gauge, but it should be sufficient for led lights. All in all I would purchase this again.
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Comments

I received an e-mail requesting how I rate these trailer lights after one year of use. I have had them on my trailer over one year. These lights go under salt water each time I put my boat in the water - they are working just fine after more than a year. I would purchase these lights again.

TCP - 02/22/2015

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by: seb6283109/26/2011

Just installed this on an old Tee Nee trailer. Instead of using the enclosed clips to attach the new wires to the outside of the frame, I used the old wires to fish the new wires through the frame.
All the pieces seem sturdily built, and the main connector is of tough Neoprene, connects solidly.
My only quibbles are minor, regarding the instructions and accessory hardware. The instructions refer to "butt connectors", but the hardware package did not include any butt connectors. Instead, there were three parallel splice connectors, of the type with a "guillotine" that you press onto both wires by clamping the whole thing with a pair of pliers. Four were needed, not three, so I had to fish one out of my basement.
These connectors are not weatherproof, even though they live outside the trailer frame, so I covered them with several strips of duct tape to keep out the rain. Will see whether that works.
The installed product works fine, and I look forward to never having a light bulb burn out.
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by: NeilG12/07/2012

I decided to rewire a small utility trailer that I use for trips around town. The lights I had previously used incandescent bulbs and suffered from a few issues, namely they were too dim, and they were way too susceptible to corrosion. They intermittently worked and got to the point they were shorting out and blowing my trailer fuses. These LED lights are simply wonderful. Bright and clear and with long life associated with LEDs. I also have a premium small cargo trailer that came stock with LED lighting, and there is just no comparison. Your trailer will be very visible using this product. Once you use LED lighting, you'll never use anything else!
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Comments

Still great after 1 year!

John - 04/15/2015

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by: Nick H06/04/2012

The lights on our 6 year old SnowBear ATV/utility trailer have been problematic for the past year or so and finally the tail light portion of the lamps just stopped working. I bought the Optronics TLL9RK LED kit to replace the whole system, but ended up reusing the original wire runs, soldering them to the kit lights' pig tails. I also made use of the license plate bracket to replace the broken original.
Less than a 20 minute job & everything works and looks great. Even the unreplaced original incandescent side marker lights were working again.
I'll keep the unused wiring & connectors as spares in case I need them in the future.
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Comments

They are working great and are still nice and bright!

Jason O - 04/22/2015

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by: roger webr02/15/2012

All went together fast and easy. But I would mentioned that I am replacing an existing lamp and harness. Two issues was my son's trailer in a box was bolted together in several well painted major parts. Well painted caused ground plane issues. I just wanted to do over the installation to ensure success. I ran dedicated ground wires and grounded same to trailer in multiple places. I think that is the major reason for success. Also the harness adaptor did not match my son's Ford F150. Oddly enough it was difficult to fined an adaptor that somewhat fit properly. Which I cut into place for the second time.
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by: Paul H.04/10/2012

Seamless transaction and gorilla-with-a-crayon installation instructions. Simple and smooth... doesn't get better than that. Phooey, I even got to talk to a real-live-helpful person!. And the box arrived like magic on my porch like a package under the Christmas tree. Would I do it again.... I already did, with another order. And I'm talking to others about my good experience.
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This comes with a wishbone harness, which is what I needed. The flat 4 plug is a little odd. It has a shield over the ground pin, which is nice, but does not fit quite so easily on the existing one on my truck. It does come with a matching vehicle side plug, but I was not about to go swapping out the one on the truck. The lights themselves are sturdy and bright. There was one set (of four) of mounting nuts and washers missing from the box, but I suspect that was just a fluke at the factory. It is not as if I don't have enough spares laying around.
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by: Joel S10/29/2012

This was a replacement of the 14 year old utility trailer lighting system. These new lights were good quality and included stainless hardware. It only took me a couple hours to rewire. The new light mounting holes matched exactly the old lights. Problem with lights are usually related to grounding issues. Because the new lights had a grounding wire I went ahead and did a wired ground. The result was the lights are very bright and you can really see the turn signals and brakes. I am 100% pleased.
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by: Jackie02/12/2013

I've had my 5' x 10' tilt bed trailer for almost eleven years ago. I mainly use it to haul riding mowers, and going to the dump.
Replaced the lights about five years ago with a cheapo set of lights. They never were very bright, and only worked sporadically.
These are a quality upgrade that should last a long time.
Installation was straight forward and painless.
And they're MUCH brighter than either of the previous incandescent sets.
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by: Willard H.04/19/2012

I ordered the LED trailer kit along with the receiver 2 inch rubber receiver covers. The lights fit the mounting holes that I already have for the previous lights. That was perfect. The extra length of wiring helped to make the trailer wiring more resistant to the weather. Those two items made aqll the difference for me. I iwll order from etrailer again and will tell my family and friends abot your web site.
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by: Tom B.04/16/2015

Great Lights! The real bonus is the fantastic customer service after the sale. Not only where the lights shipped super-fast, the follow up communication from Bill and George was extraordinary. Easy to follow directions were included in the light kit that made installation so simple a cave man could do it.
Truly a pleasure to do business with a company that understands customer service and delivers!
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by: WAYNE M.06/30/2013

VERY GOOD LIGHT KIT AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE ONLY THINGS I DID NOT USE, WERE THE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER, WHICH IS PLASTIC. MY OLD METAL ONE WAS IN GOOD SHAPE, AND THE SHORT CONNECTOR WITH BARE WIRES I DID NOT USE . I WENT TO LOCAL AUTO SHOP AND BOUGHT A 48 INCH 4 BLADE EXTENSION PLUG THAT PLUGED INTO MY VEHICLE AND INTO THE LONG WIRING HARNESS THAT CAME WITH THIS KIT FOR A SIMPLE PLUG TOGETHER HOOK UP.
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by: Bob C05/24/2012

Very nice kit to replace my 20 year old incandescent lights. Easy to install. They are much brighter than the old which increases the safety. The only issue was getting a good ground on the trailer but that is the installers problem, not the product.
The pice again was about 1/2 of the local parts store and delivery was in a couple of days.
Good products.... good delivery...
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by: Craig07/18/2015

I had to rewire my trailer. This kit installed easily but I only had to wire the trailer, not my vehicle. I am hoping the LED's will be an improvement over my old lights that used bulbs.The only question I have is the lights need to be hooked to the wires using wire nuts. I question if over time the connections are going to corrode more easily or come loose.
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by: Gordon A04/23/2013

Products received were as described and appear to be of good quality. They were received in an expedient manner and packaged very well. Installation was a breeze and everything is working as it should. From ordering to delivery and installation, everything went very smoothly. I highly recommend etrailer and will use them again when the need arises
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This is a great item if you have to replace the wiring on a trailer. I put these on a car dolly and the installation was a snap. I just ran the wire in some wire loom or braid to add a little bit more isolation from the vibrations that can cause the wires to fray to extend the units life.
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by: david knoedler03/26/2013

Nice kit with all appropriate hardware. My suggestion would be to include waterproof butt connectors with heat shrink coating so the wiring could be properly connected to the pigtails on the lights. Nothing $4 at the autoparts store can't fix but it would be nice if it was included.
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by: Thomas R07/12/2012

Lights were easy to install and look great. Only two small issues. 1. The trailer ground needs to be longer. I had to add about 8 inches to the ground so the harness could reach. 2. Had to modify the harness to fit my adapter, which only involved trimming off some of the rubber.
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by: Ron B08/21/2013

Due to some physical setbacks, I have not installed my new lights on my boat trailer yet but I will say this..... Service was spectacular with up to date emails concerning the status of the shipment and the arrival which was well ahead the time they stated. Thank you!
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by: Rich H.03/20/2015

Ordered my submersible trailer lights online and within a few hours got and e-mail stating that it was ready and was shipped shortly after. Received my item a few days later. Excellent service and great product. Will recommend this site and product to my friends.
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by: Larry07/30/2014

Good product, ez to install. Online instructions very complete. As in other reviews ground line should be longer, however, problem solved by using ground wire from second adapter with kit. Lic. plate holder would be better if it was metal.
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by: Dean E05/22/2015

I found just what I wanted on the web site - immersible tail light kit. It arrived quickly, was priced right, and the installation video really gave me confidence. The lights work great with plenty of brightness.
Thanks again, Etrailer!
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by: Jeff T09/18/2014

Worked perfectly, nice and bright compared to my old lights, and no messing around with bulbs anymore, worth every penny. My only complaint was one of the lock washers and nuts was missing from the light kit, everything else is good.
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by: Jesse R.04/23/2015

Good product. Bought some last year for my boat trailer. Got tired of burned bulbs and worrying about a ticket coming back from boat ramp.
Buying a second set for my 5x8 utility trailer.
Performed as expected for an LED.
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by: Jordan06/24/2013

Lights are super bright with the lights off they are still effective with the reflectors. I would easily recommend LED's anytime. I preferred this light over many because this had the side marker on the back of the trailer.
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by: Flyboy4702/16/2011

I ordered a new set of tail and side lights for my trailer. The kit arrived promptly. Had them installed with no problem that afternoon. I have ordered from eTrailer before and as always got great service.
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by: Kelvin03/16/2013

This LED light kit is excellent. Everything needed for standard installation can with my kit. The instructions were clear and helpful. I recommend this product to replace older bulb type trailer lights.
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by: Loren03/08/2011

This LED trailer wiring package installed exactly as described. I was very impressed by the customer service and the personal touch. Keep up the good work and I'll continue to order from etrailer.com.
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It sounds like you do not have the side marker lights properly grounded. If the lights have a separate ground wire to attach to the trailer frame it will need to be connected to a suitable point on the trailer frame. The closer to the light the better.
If you light does not have a separate ground wire then it is grounded through the mounting holes and you will need to be sure that the light is mounted directly to the trailer frame and making a good connection.
Use a circuit tester,...view full answer...

When selecting an LED light, if the description states it is waterproof or submersible then the light can be submersed in water.
The item you selected, Waterproof, Under 80 Inch LED Trailer Light Kit with 25 Foot Wiring Harness, part # TLL9RK, has encased LED diodes. Water can enter the light lens but not the LED casing. There are also 2 holes that allow water to drain out of the lens. Part # TLL9RK are used for the rear trailer lights for running, turn, and brake lights.
For sealed...view full answer...

Since there are a lot of variable in this situation the first thing I would recommend is to try and narrow down the problem to either the truck or the trailer. In order to do this I would try hooking your Dodge Ram 2500 up to another trailer with trailer lights that are known to work and then test the tail light functions in that situation.
Or, you could hook your trailer up to a friends truck that you know has functional trailer lights and see if the trailer lights still react the...view full answer...

A submersible tail light can let water in, there is usually a hole at a low point so the water can drain out. A waterproof light should be sealed to keep out water.
For either type, you would also want to seal out water where the tail light wiring splices into the trailer wiring. Shrink tubing works well for this. You can also wrap up connections with electrical tape like # BT66. Or you could use a combination of liquid electrical tape, # SWC50122, and regular electrical tape.
Ideally,...view full answer...

The first thing I would do is check all of the ground locations on the trailer. If you have a ground that went bad it is very likely that at first it was causing the lights to blink and then finally failed completely.
If you check all of the grounds and they are connected securely to clean bare metal at each light and at the trailer coupler and your lights still do not work correctly, I would then check the vehicle side connector for proper function. Use a circuit tester, like part #...view full answer...

For simplicity, I would recommend wiring the motorcycle trailer as a vehicle trailer would be.
A powered converter wiring kit, like part # 119179KIT, would be connected to the motorcycle, which would provide a 4-pole trailer connector. The converter combines the brake lamp and the directional signal onto one circuit. The 4-pole connector utilizes four circuits, the white wire which is the ground, the green wire carries the right turn and brake light combined on one circuit, the yellow...view full answer...

The first thing that I would recommend checking are the ground connections for the trailer side connector and the lights. Poor ground connections are the most common culprit of trailer wiring issues. The lights will have either a ground wire or they will ground through the mounting hardware. Each of the ground connections should be secured to a clean, bare metal surface on the trailer frame or to the negative terminal of a trailer battery if you have one.
If the ground connections check...view full answer...

To completely rewire your cargo trailer, I would recommend picking up a trailer light kit like the Standard Light Kit, # TL5RK, or # TLL9RK for LED lights. These kits include all necessary wiring and hardware needed to install the lights on your trailer. The LED light kit does not include clearance lights. To add clearance lights, I would recommend using # MCL31AB.
The best option would be the LED lights because they only use a fraction of the power that the incandescent lights use....view full answer...

This Submersible LED Trailer Light Kit with 25 foot Wiring Harness, part # TLL9RK, uses all stainless steel mounting hardware.
The mounting hardware of this trailer light kit should work well in the saltwater conditions that you use your boat in.view full answer...

I went out to the warehouse and pulled the Waterproof, Under 80 inch LED Trailer Light Kit, item # TLL9RK, to see exactly what Optronics means by waterproof.
Upon initial inspection the housing itself is not water tight. Water can access the housing through the hole that the wires enter the light through and there is a drain hole at the bottom of the light near the center of the front lens.
I then removed the front and side lenses and found that the led light system is encased (sealed)...view full answer...

For a waterproof LED light kit you would want to use # TLL9RK. I can verify that his kit is listed as waterproof which would include it being submersible.
The # TLL28RK kit is comprised of lights not listed as submersible as you have said.view full answer...

I went and pulled an Optronics Trailer Light Kit # TLL9RK from our warehouse to measure the dimensions for you.
Check out the video to see the measurements.
The horizontal width of one of the lights is 5 inches, the vertical height of the unit is 4-1/2 inches and the depth of it is 2-1/2 inches. The distance between the mounting studs is 2 inches also.view full answer...

I would begin by checking the grounds on your trailer. You will want to make sure each light is grounded to a clean metal surface. The item you selected, Custer Trailer Light, part # TLK01, includes a plastic license plate bracket. Sometimes this can cause a bad ground connection for the tail lights. I would also check to make sure the vehicle side connector is grounded and to make sure the auxiliary fuse on your vehicle is not blown.
There is also the possibility that the vehicle wiring...view full answer...

There are a few possibilities and things you will need to check on your trailer and your vehicle.
You will want to start by checking the ground wires on the lights, make sure each light has a good ground connection to clean metal surface.
Then, you will want to check the wiring on the trailer, start at the 4-way connector and visually inspect the wires for any cut or exposed wiring. If you find cut or exposed wiring where the protective coating on the wiring is missing, you will...view full answer...

If your trailer came with the square Peterson lights then you can use the Submersible LED Trailer Light Kit, # TLL9RK.
The Over 80 designation that you see is a federal guideline for trailers that are over 80 inches wide, and extra lighting is required for these trailers. You should check federal and state lighting guidelines if you are not sure that your trailer has the correct lighting installed on it. At this time we do not have an LED version of the Over 80 inch square tail light...view full answer...

Yes, the light assemblies of the # TLL9RK will fit in the Light Guard # LG440NP. The # LG440NP has inside dimensions of 5 by 5-1/2 inches and the assemblies of the # TLL9RK are 5-3/16" long by 4-3/4" wide so they would fit.view full answer...

Brake lights and turn signals on a trailer are a combined circuit but the running lights are their own circuit. On a vehicle side 7-Way, the pin in the 11:00 position is for running lights. Use a circuit tester like # 3808 if needed to test the pins and determine if the problem is on the truck or trailer.
Since everything else is working, it is probably an issue with the trailer. But, make sure that the 7-Ways on both the truck and the trailer are clean and corrosion free. Corrosion...view full answer...

On the Optronics Trailer Lights, # TLL9RK, there are 2 different tail light assemblies. The driver side which includes the license plate light, draws a max of 0.254 amps at 12.8 volts (brake/turn lights) and the running lights draw 0.112 amps at 12.8 volts.
The passenger side light is a little different since it does not power a license plate light. It draws a max of 0.259 amps at 12.8 volts (brake/turn) and 0.062 amps at 12.8 volts for the running lights.view full answer...

The Optronics Submersible LED Trailer Light Kit, part # TLL9RK, provides a lifetime warranty on the the LEDs and features water-proof housings. This particular product uses two threaded stainless steel studs for mounting to your trailer and a 3-wire configuration for electrical connection to your trailer wiring. The light includes separate wires for ground (white wire), stop/turn signals (green and yellow wires) and running lights (carried on the brown wire).
There are similar products...view full answer...

The Optronics stud-mounted LED Trailer Light Kit, part # TLL9RK, features left- and right-hand LED light assemblies that are DOT-approved and waterproof, and includes a 25-foot wiring harness, mounting hardware and connectors, and a license plate bracket. The driver-side light includes license plate illumination.
These lights mount using two supplied steel studs (on 2-inch centers) and they use a 3-wire system for electrical connection to your trailer wiring. Each light has a white ground...view full answer...

I would begin by making sure each marker light has a good ground connection to a clean metal surface. Each light should be grounded to a rust-free, metal surface. If the ground is achieved through the metal base of the light, there may be corrosion or rust that has formed which is causing a bad ground.
I would also recommend checking the power supply to the lights, you can do so with a circuit tester like part # 3808. You will want to inspect the wiring making sure there is not a short...view full answer...

We have a custom fit vehicle wiring for your vehicle. I used the Fit Guide on the website and found that the wiring kit you need for your 2008 Toyota Corolla is the Curt Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, part # 55542. This kit will wire into the vehicle wiring and allow you to connect your trailer to your 2009 Toyota Corolla.
Yes, this custom fit wiring simply plugs into your factory wiring harness, it is a plug and play kit.
When connecting the trailer wiring to your vehicle it is always...view full answer...

The Optronics Trailer Light, # STL8RB, is a universal right side light for the # TLL-9RK set. They have the same dimensions, functions, amperage draw, and diodes. So this light will work.view full answer...

For the assemblies that come with the Submersible, Under 80" LED Trailer Light Kit part # TLL9RK that you referenced the white wires will need to be grounded, the brown wires will run to the running lights circuit, the green wire will run to the right stop/turn circuit and the yellow wire will run to the left stop/turn circuit.
I attached a picture that has a standard trailer wiring diagram that should be helpful for you.
The distance between the mounting studs is 2 inches.view full answer...

Yes, the light kit has mounting studs, nuts included, that are 2 inches on center for mounting to a metal mounting bracket. The bracket must be attached securely to the trailer frame because the lights in this kit get their ground connection through the mounting studs.view full answer...

I spoke with my contact at Roadmaster. he indicated that the cables on the Deluxe Magnetic Tow Light Kit, # RM-2100, are 25 feet long. What you can do to get an additional 8 feet with this kit is to use the Hopkins Heavy-Duty Trailer Coiled Extension, # HM47045.
However, this kit is not submersible so you would have to remove them from the boat before backing it into the water to launch. You could use a submersible kit, like # TLL9RK. Since you would need an extension either way, you...view full answer...

The 80 inches in question is the overall width of the trailer, or in this case, a tow dolly. Even if a trailer or tow dolly is under 80 inches, you can still use an over 80 inch light kit if you wanted to. But a trailer that is over 80 inches cannot use an under 80 kit because it will not meet the requirements.
For over 80 inches you can use # TLL36RK or # TLL16RK.view full answer...

Many times the issue with a dim light on one side or the other is caused by a poor ground connection. You will want to inspect all of the ground locations as well as the ground wires coming from each light. Check for loose connections or pinched or bare wires. Since you said it is a submergible light, check to make sure the light housing has not been damaged and no water has managed to get inside the housing.
If the lights on your trailer use a plug-in style pigtail harness look for...view full answer...

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